This section is all about people doing things in Dallas, Texas, with articles and event announcements on local lectures, art/literary/business panels, and Q&A sessions with prominent authors, lecturers, and academics. This section is also home to the “Fascinating People from Dallas, Texas” series, which is a bi-monthly bio, and interview with a person from or living in Dallas bringing value to our city. Subscribe to our RSS or get updates directly via email using our subscribe page to learn about people from Dallas, Texas, doing cool things!

Kirk Savage, professor of art history at the University of Pittsburgh and author of the new book, Monument Wars: Washington, D.C., the National Mall, and the Transformation of the Memorial Landscape, will deliver a free lecture co-sponsored by the Dallas Holocaust Museum, the Art History Department at Southern Methodist University and The Sixth Floor Museum.

The Human Trafficking Forum is organized around research to be released by CHILDREN AT RISK in September on domestic human trafficking in Dallas and the state of Texas. Other panelists will discuss the international dimensions of human trafficking in Dallas and provide insight into law enforcement and victim assistance in this region.

Linda Tarr-Whelan is the author of the upcoming book Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World. Having been Ambassador and US Representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women under President Bill Clinton, and Deputy Assistant to President Jimmy Carter, there’s good reason why this women was named “One of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Washington” by Ladies Home Journal.

You can meet Linda on September 17th at The Women’s Museum for the launch of her new book. Tickets are $10 and price includes a box lunch.

The SMU Tate Lecture series is one of my favorite things to look forward to in Dallas. They have done an extremely amazing job at hosting some of the finest intellectuals, musicians, politicians, activists, and journalists from around the world. The series not only assists in offering Dallas residents the opportunity to listen to some of the greatest influential leaders of our time, but it also gives SMU recognition as being forefronts of continuing education. The series started in 1983 and today is”one of the country’s leading forums for intellectual inquiry and discussion.” I couldn’t agree more.

Whoa. Whoa. Stop right there. TED is one of the most prominent conferences in the world. Tickets to attend are $6,000 and presenters have included people like President Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Bill Page, and Elizabeth Gilbert. Because our only chance of seeing TED Talks is online, and “in the spirit of ideas worth spreading,” TEDx has been creeping up in local areas like London, Paris, Boston, and now Dallas!

From The Dallas Opera Calendar of Events:

Tied to our productions of Mozart’s poignant romance, Cosi fan tutte, and the biting comedy of Don Pasquale, this Dallas Opera panel discussion features Dr. James Houran, who writes and speaks on the subject of dating and compatability and Dr. Stephen Dubberly of the UNT Opera program (our most popular lecturer). Moderated by local arts journalist Chris Shull (Opera, Opera Now, Star-Telegram).

When: Thursday, August 20, 2009 6:30PM – 8:00PM
Cost: FREE
To RSVP: email amici@dallasopera.org or call 214-443-1044.

The DMA will host Author and Academy Award-nominated costume designer, Deborah Nadoolman Landis. Lanis will discuss how costumes help bring characters to life in Hollywood using examples from her book Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design.

When: Thursday, August 27, 7:00 p.m
Where: DMA Horchow Auditorium, 1717 N Harwood St, Dallas, TX 75201

Tickets are $30 for the public; $25 for DMA members, Friends of the Dallas Public Library, seniors, and educators; $15 for students.

The Meadows Museum at SMU will be presenting a three-week lecture series exploring the social, cultural and political climate of Mexico during Diego Rivera’s lifetime. The lectures are free and advanced registration is not required.

While you’re there take advantage of Free Thursday’s (after 5pm) at the Meadow’s Museum and explore the Diego Rivera: The Cubists Portraits, 1913-1914 exhibition.

The Dallas Institute will host a conference on the psychology of money with Institute fellows and guest speakers on Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16th. (I just love a good conference that stimulates the brain. Don’t you?)

Speakers and participants will explore various aspects of money, including how the power of money influences thought and behavior, why money plays so dominant a role in our lives, and what its future might be.

Discover how Aureliano de Beruete (1845-1912) was influenced by his contemporaries Martín Rico and Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, the French Impressionists, as well as his enthusiasm and appreciation for Diego Velázquez. Professor de Miguel Egea will also examine how Beruete was able to travel extensively, experience first-hand the work of his European contemporaries, and freely paint subjects that interested him, such as old Castilian cities and their surrounding landscapes.